Let us not dig their graves - let our children go to school

We are passing through a very critical time of our history these days. The War on Terror, which had nothing to do with us, has dragged us into it and there seems no plausible way out of it, at least as of now.

Through the Blog Action Day, being observed all over the world by the bloggers with the theme 'Power of We', I am writing the following post to covey to the world the resolve and  united voice of the entire bloggers and the people of Pakistan to express our concern about the killing and shooting of children whether by NATO drones or by militants and voice our concern to shake the conscious of the world to bring an end to this brutality so that our children could go to schools, and not to graves or hospitals.

The events that 'were set into motion' on 9/11' have finally led the NATO and its Allies into Afghanistan fighting a lost war and are not finding a way out too. But its fallout is being faced in Pakistan and we seemed to be dragged deeper and deeper into it as days go by.

The recent shooting incident involving the 14 years old girl activist Malala Yousufzai is the latest blow to the future of education, specially of girls, in the terror struck areas of Pakistan. The militants, whose identity is yet to be known, have hit at a small girl who had nothing to do with the war on terror - she only wanted to educate herself and be something to help others and the community.

However, one thing that emerges out of this sad incident is that there seem to be a uniting of the voices of the masses to condemn the militants and the war of t(error). There seems to be a voice united among the entire society and the nation which is being converged into the Power of We - a platform is being readied to voice people's concern about the futility of the war which is taking a heavy toll of peace and stability of our country.

Today we need to stand up against the brutality being unleashed by the militants.

Today we need to know who these militants are and why their agenda is Pakistan specific.

Today we need to know why people of same religion are pitched against each other.

Today we need to exert our collective power to beat back the menace of militancy by supporting our army and all institutions involved in ridding us the menace of militancy.

Today, we need to voice out concern over the world's Dr Jackal and Mr Hyde like strategy towards Pakistan, which on one hands kills civilians and children while targeting militants and keep quiet, and on the other make hue and cry when children like Malala are hit.

Today we need to tell the world that all children who fall prey to this war are alike and ours, and we love them dearly and lament equally when they succumb to the war of terror.

Today we need to stand up and raise our voice against the drone attacks that kill innocent people, men, women and children, as a collateral damage to kill some low profile militants. 

Today we need to express our power into our resolve to rid out country of the militancy and provide schools and books to our children - and not dig graves for them when they fall prey to the drone attacks and the militancy.

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Blog Action Day 2010 - Drinking Water and Women of Thar (Pakistan)

Thar Desert, the 9th largest subtropical desert of the world, is spread over an area of some 200,000 square kilometres between India and Pakistan. On the Indian side it is called the Rajhistan or the Great Indian Desert, while in Pakistan it is known as Thar, mostly located in the Sind province and partly in the southern Punjab province, where the Cholistan Desert joins hands with the Thar. Thar in local language simply means “the desert.” The desert mostly consists of large barren tracts of sand dunes covered with thorny bushes.

Like all other deserts, water is extremely scarce and hard to find, specially the potable drinking water. When it rains, the rain water gets collected in small low lying bowl shaped ponds called the “tobas” where men and animals drink together. There are no alternatives as wells digging is not possible. Even if there is a success, the water is so brackish and salty that it cannot be consumed for drinking purposes. Due to the nature of earth with loose sand, deep wells are not possible as the earth gives in during digging and sometimes costs the life of the well diggers. Even if there is a success that brings sweet water, the well soon dries up. For this reason, there are no permanent settlements in the Thar and people roam the desert like nomads and make a temporary abode around a water source till it dries up too.

While the men move out in search of grazing areas with their prize possession of goats, cows and camels for grazing, which are hard to find and have to travel long distances to find some grazing areas, the women of Thar move out in search of water. Those touring and travelling Thar would often find women dressed in traditional bright coloured dresses with pitchers on their heads wandering around in search of water. If a toba happens to be in the vicinity, they may find some water, otherwise they too have to travel long distances to find water.

Potable drinking water scarcity makes living extremely difficult. Due to its almost non-existence, it gives rise to diseases and many disorders for which no cure is available as a semblance of medical aid is only available in larger towns miles away.

It is a pity that while a segment of our population is devoid of this natural gift, we in cities waste water at leisure. While taking showers, we keep the shower running while we soap and shampoo. We keep the tap running in our kitchens while we wash the dishes. We drink the half of the glass and throw the rest in the wash basin. This is criminal and we are doing it at the cost of those who do not have any access to it. It is strange that while more people around the world have cellular phones, more than 2.5 billion have no access to toilet and some one billion without any access to safe drinking water.

The bloggers from around the world join hand today to raise the awareness about access to safe and clean drinking water for almost a billion people around the world, and hope from those reading their posts to extend their cooperation in the noble cause, sponsored by the blogactionday.change.org, to spread the word. Let us make a resolve today not to waste water and do our utmost to preserve it for the sake of those who are not as lucky as we are.

Photo Sources:

Community Water Project (Top)

Thar Women fetching water (Bottom Left)

Thar Desert of Pakistan (Bottom Right)

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Blog Action Day 2010 - WATER

Have you ever wondered that while you can buy bottled safe drinking water from the market, more than one billion people around the world cannot afford this luxury of clean drinking water? Join countless bloggers around the world to participate in the Blog Action Day to raise awareness about the clean and safe drinking water for those who cannot afford it or don’t have access to it. Remember access to clean water is not just a human rights issue – it is an environmental, animal welfare, and sustainability issue. Water is a global issue, and affects all of us.

Blog Action Day is an annual event held every October 15 that unites the world’s bloggers in posting about the same issue on the same day with the aim of sparking a global discussion and driving collective action. So be part of the fifth Blog action Day 2010 which is dedicated to the accessibility to clean drinking water. The theme was chosen by vote on Change.org’s blog, with Collis and Cyan Ta’eed as its co-creators.

Those who haven’t heard of the Blog Action Day, may I add for their information that it is all about grass root level activism, based on the philosophy that ordinary people can make an extraordinary difference. Join the cause and celebrate the day with your own post at your own blog, as I have.

Photo courtesy: Diets in Review.com

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